12, July 2017

Trump says Putin preferred Clinton as US president ⁰

US President Donald Trump says his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would have been more comfortable with his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, as the president. “If Hillary had won, our military would be decimated. Our energy would be much more expensive. That’s what Putin doesn’t like about me,” Trump said in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) on Wednesday.

He also commented about the ceasefire in southwestern Syria, announced after his two-hour meeting with the Russian president on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

“Well he wants what’s good for Russia, and I want what’s good for the United States. And I think in a case like Syria where we can get together, do a ceasefire, and there are many other cases where getting along can be a very positive thing, but always Putin is going to want Russia and Trump is going to want the United States and that’s the way it is,” Trump said. “Sometimes you’re not going to get along on things and sometimes you will. But we had a good meeting, it was a face to face meeting, it was a long meeting. It was two hours and 15 minutes. Everyone was surprised by the amount of time but that was a good thing and not a bad thing. Yeah, I think we get along very well and I think that’s a good thing, that’s not a bad thing. People said, ‘Oh they shouldn’t get along.’ Well, who are the people that are saying that? I think we get along very, very well. We are a tremendously powerful nuclear power, and so are they. It doesn’t make sense not to have some kind of a relationship.”

His comments came as the FBI as well as congressional committees were investigating whether the Russian government coordinated with Trump associates during the 2016 campaign and transition. Since the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump has adopted a positive stance towards Russia and its leader. During the interview, he asserted that the ceasefire in Syria was a manifestation of forging better ties with Moscow.

“I think we had an excellent meeting. One thing we did is we had a ceasefire in a major part of Syria where there was tremendous bedlam and tremendous killing. And, by the way, this is now four days. The ceasefire has held for four days. Those (previous) ceasefires haven’t held at all. That’s because President Putin and President Trump made the deal, and it’s held. Now, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe as we’re speaking they start shooting again. But this has held unlike all of the other ceasefires that didn’t mean anything,” Trump said. “So, that was a great thing that came out of that meeting. I think a lot of things came out of that meeting but I do believe it’s important to have a dialogue and if you don’t have a dialogue, it’s a lot of problems for our country and for their country. I think we need dialogue. We need dialogue with everybody.”

Syria has been beset by conflict since March 2011. Numerous rounds of talks and three different UN special envoys have failed to resolve the crisis which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Monday that there is a higher potential than we are seeing in the past for progress” following the new cessation of hostilities.

Source: Presstv

12, July 2017

Multiple bomb attacks kill 19 in Nigeria ⁰

The Nigerian police say multiple bomb attacks have claimed the lives of at least 19 people and wounded about two dozen others in the country’s troubled northeast. Police said on Wednesday that the deadly attacks were carried out in the city of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, on Tuesday night.

Borno state police commissioner Damian Chukwu said 12 of the dead were members of a civilian self-defense force and the other seven were killed when they gathered to mourn them. At least 23 others were wounded in the fatal attack, he added. Danbatta Bello, a spokesman for the self-defense force, said at least one of the bombers was female. He said the bombers specifically targeted his colleagues while they were on duty.

“A teenage female suicide bomber actually crept to the sandbag post of our boys at Molai and before they could realize what was happening she detonated herself and killed three of our boys,” the Associated Press quoted Bello said as saying. “That happened simultaneously with the one that occurred at the tea vendor’s, where seven of our members who took their time off to eat their dinner were killed,” he said.

Media reports said mourning residents were preparing the bodies of the victims for burial. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the latest attacks but they have the hallmark of the Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group, as it in the past employed radicalized women on multiple occasions to conduct bombings against people or army troops.

In recent weeks, a number of bomb attacks by suspected members of Boko Haram have taken place in the capital of Borno state and its environs. In December 2016, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 with a pledge to eradicate Boko Haram, announced that the army had “crushed” the terror group a day earlier by retaking its last key bastion, deep inside the thick Sambisa Forest in Borno.

The group has, however, resorted to sporadic shooting attacks and bombings in the northeast of the African country, spreading panic among local residents. Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people and abducted thousands of others.

Northeastern Nigeria is part of what the United Nations has called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis in more than 70 years, with the World Food Program estimating that more than 4.5 million people in the region need emergency food assistance. The United Nations has warned that areas affected by Boko Haram face a humanitarian crisis.

Source: Presstv

12, July 2017

CPDM GCE: Board shuts down Bamenda marking centers ⁰

The management of the GCE Board has shut down the Bamenda marking Centers, Cameroon Concord News has learned. We gathered that the decision was reached after a meeting with the Francophone governor. The Board leadership has been quoted as saying that the institution cannot guarantee the security of the teachers summoned to correct the examination papers due to the current state of affairs in the Bamenda County set up as a result of the Southern Cameroons crisis.

Teachers who have to correct the examination papers have all been directed to the Buea and Limbe centers in the South West Region. Our senior correspondent in Mamfe, the chief town in Manyu Division hinted that several numbers of teachers have left the North West region via Bachou-Akaegbe in Manyu to Buea for the exercise.

The closure of the Bamenda centers announced recently by the well fed registrar, Humphery Ekema Monono (seen here) also involves examiners for the Ordinary levels. Humphrey Ekema Monono has also sent out a threatening message to all Southern Cameroons teachers warning against lateness. It is therefore in the South-West Region that all the participants in the correction chain will be working on the official examination copies.

The Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime believes security and working conditions are better assured in the Fako constituency. Some of the teachers who spoke to us but sued for anonymity said they were traveling to Buea and Limbe for tourism as due to the low participation of candidates, the number of working days have been drastically reduced. This means the markers will be paid less.

By Eyong Johnson
Cameroon Concord News

12, July 2017

OPEN LETTER TO WEST CAMEROONIANS ⁰

WHY REGISTERING AND VOTING IN NEXT YEAR’S ELECTIONS ARE GOOD FOR YOUR CAUSE

Dear fellow West Cameroonians,

After more than eight months of challenging a government that has hurt us for more than five decades, I deem it necessary to bring this important component of the struggle to your attention. While we may differ on the final objective of the struggle, I would like to underscore that we all agree that we have been victims of a system that has transformed us into second-class citizens and many of us have been robbed of the opportunity to serve a nation we also consider ours. Ours has been a kingdom wherein a few have usurped everything and they hold that it is their birth right to play God. They erroneously think that having a job in our country is an act of benevolence on their part. We disagree with that and strongly insist that birthright citizenship requires that we also aspire to certain positions in the country in which we were born. The pain of robbing us of our birthright is one reason we cannot just sit and watch this long party go on indefinitely.

Allow me to point out that nature has endowed us with a lot of resources, especially in the Southwest Region where our sub-soil is rich. We have oil, gold, timber and other resources, but we remain among the poorest of the poor, with many of our parents living on less than a dollar a day. The Southwest region alone accounts for more than 40% of the country’s foreign earnings, most of which come from oil revenues obtained from the oil deposits in the Rio Del Rey Estuary in the Southwest Region. Similarly, though the country’s lone oil refinery is located in the Southwest region, most of the employees are Francophones whose favorite sport is humiliating our people who only get close to their oil when they go to buy fuel at the pump.

Our people have been reduced to sorry spectators of events in their own country. Our parents and siblings who are stuck in the country are still dying of preventable and curable diseases while a few keep on organizing a never-ending party that has transformed our beloved country into a milking cow. In three decades, the Chinese government has successfully pulled more than 700 million Chinese out of poverty, but ours has remained a kingdom of poverty, diseases and death; a kingdom wherein policy- and decision-makers are bereft of the basic skills that can enable them postpone death for our people. We have continued to watch our fellow brothers live and die in despair and nobody in power has ever expressed any regrets for this preventable loss of lives.

On the contrary, these people who schooled on our parents’ taxes have continued to use their forces of law(lessness) and (dis)order to hunt our people as if they have become game. Images of those University of Buea girls being made to swim in raw sewage are stuck in my mind and they make it hard to forgive Dr. Nalova Lyonga who was the Vice Chancellor of the University at the time. She is gone, but the mentality of violence is still in force. She did not organize this alone. The governor of the Southwest Region was involved. The minister of higher education, Fame Ndongo, was aware of the plan. They too must be dismissed for West Cameroonians to know that justice is taking its course.

While the current struggle must continue until we achieve our goal, we must also understand that next year’s elections do constitute a window of opportunity for us. Whether we are federalists, secessionists or independentists, we can still use next year’s presidential, parliamentary and mayoral elections to make a strong statement of intent. The government might have taken a blow to the liver, but it is still fighting to stay in the boxing ring. It may be down, but not out and it is scheming to reinvent itself.

While we may not like the idea of being part of La République, it is clear for now that we are still part of that country and it is incumbent upon us to exercise our citizenship. In this regard, all West Cameroonians of voting age should go get registered for the upcoming elections. If we don’t get registered, we will surely not vote and the mess will continue right in front of us. Let’s stop those Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) parliamentarians, who have been serving themselves for too long, from helping to perpetuate a system that has inflicted pain on us. While they call their party Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, we the suffering masses know them as “Chop People Dem Money” (CPDM) and they have been crushing our money for more than fifty years while we watch helplessly from a distance.

We can end that by getting registered for the elections that will come up next year. We should understand if we give our votes to one party for that party to defend us in the National Assembly, we will be able to make some inroads. We are capable of reversing a few things if we pool our votes.

Today, we have successfully struck fear in the minds of those who have, for more than thirty years, claimed that they have been representing us. We have made them to feel our anger. We are bitter because they have hurt us. We are angry because they have robbed us of our childhood and happiness. We are frustrated because they have reduced us to second-class citizens. We can put an end to that anger and frustration by registering and voting in next year’s elections where we will have the opportunity to replace the mayors and parliamentarians in West Cameroon who have never bothered to identify with the struggling population. Next year could usher in a lot of change. Let’s not allow that opportunity pass us by.

Make no mistake, we may not yet be in the Promised Land, but we have made significant progress in that direction. Francophones have understood our plight. We have educated them and many of them are on our side today. Even the government knows we are a formidable force. With two million of our brothers out of the country, we have a historic moment to make our voices heard. It is our right. It is our birthright and we must claim it. Next year should be that great moment for us to retire those CPDM parliamentarians who have only served their children and families for years. We should retire them and make them feel the pain we have felt for decades.

When we register, we must understand that the road ahead is still bumpy. We are not dealing with a government that believes in fair-play. We are dealing with a government that is intent on keeping us in poverty for as long as they want. But we have a trump card – our unity of purpose. We may disagree on many issues, but we all agree that our government has not served us and we have an opportunity to replace it through the ballot boxes. We will have to cast our votes and we must wait at the polling station for every vote to be counted. Our votes must count and we must use that vote to determine our destiny. We can no longer put our fate and destiny into old shaky hands that have never been there for us. It is time to be very strategic and every window of opportunity must be used to achieve our goal.

In all of this, the Diaspora has a role to play. Just as every one of you out there called their families to stop the children from going to school, so too should you use the same media to inform your loved ones to get registered for the upcoming elections. Let’s not miss any opportunity available to us to make our voices heard. Let’s punish those parliamentarians and mayors who have not served. Let’s punish them for serving people in Yaounde and not the people they are supposed to serve. The upcoming elections are a great moment. We cannot afford to miss that golden opportunity. Let each and every one of us play their role. We owe it to our children and future generations.

Sincerely,

By Joachim Arrey, PhD

About the Author: The author of this piece is a keen observer of Cameroon’s political and economic landscape. He has published extensively on the country’s political and economic development, especially in the early 90s when the wind of change was blowing across the African continent. He has served as a translator, technical writer, journalist and editor for several international organizations and corporations across the globe. He studied communication at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and technical writing in George Brown College in Toronto, Canada. He is also a trained translator and holds a Ph.D.

12, July 2017

Moscow threatens reciprocity over US expulsions ⁰

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow may retaliate moves by the United States last year to seize Russian diplomatic premises in America and eject a number of Russian diplomats.

The administration of former US president Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and ordered the seizure of two Russian diplomatic compounds in December 2016 over allegations that Moscow had attempted to influence the US presidential election back then. Denying the allegations, Russia has previously called for the return of the premises.

During a visit to Austria on Tuesday, Lavrov told Russian media that the situation had lingered and was “outrageous.” “I believe that for such a great country like the United States of America, this advocate of international law, it’s just shameful to leave the situation in mid-air,” he said. The Russian foreign minister also said that Moscow was “now thinking of specific steps” to retaliate. He did not provide details, however.

When the Obama administration ejected the Russian diplomats and took over the premises, Russia did not take immediate reciprocal action and preferred to wait and see whether ties would improve under the administration of President Donald Trump, whose election victory Obama said had been aided by the alleged Russian meddling.

At a news conference with the European Union (EU)’s High Representative Federica Mogherini later in the day, Lavrov said once again that the US would face “retaliatory measures” if it did not heed Russia’s calls to return the diplomatic premises.

“If this does not happen, if we see that this step is not seen as essential in Washington, then of course we will take retaliatory measures,” he said. “This is the law of diplomacy, the law of international affairs, that reciprocity is the basis of all relations.”

According to Russia’s Izvestia daily, Moscow has been considering the expulsion of some 30 US diplomats and taking over two US diplomatic compounds near Moscow and St. Petersburg. A dacha complex owned by the US Embassy at Serebyany Bor outside Moscow may be one of those premises.

Citing Foreign Ministry sources, Izvestia said that the measures will take effect if the diplomatic row is not resolved at a meeting between Lavrov’s deputy Sergei Ryabkov and Thomas Shannon, a US under secretary of state, in St. Petersburg next week.

Source: Presstv

12, July 2017

Choupo-Moting and Schalke: No longer an item ⁰

Turkish Super Lig side Antalyaspor have contacted free agent Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting according to reports in Turkey.

The German-born Cameroonian and Schalke could not agree terms over a new deal and subsequently saw his three-year stay at the Gelsenkirchen side come to an end.

Moting’s relationship with Schalke began in the summer of 2014 after he arrived on a free transfer from Mainz. He would go on to become a regular and appear 106 times and score 22 goals.

But according to the Turkish Daily Hurriyet, Akrepler have recently been in contact with the attacker over a possible switch.

The report further suggests that negotiations are at an advanced stage and could result in a transfer within the next few days which will see the 28-year-old line up next to Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o who is a household name at the Antalya Arena side.

Source: Goal.com

11, July 2017

University of Buea: New management team installed ⁰

The Newly appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, Professor Ngomo Horace Manga and the new Pro-Chancellor, Professor Ako Edward Oben have been installed into their respective functions on Monday the 10th of July 2017.

They were installed at the Dorothy Limunga Amphitheatre 750 of the University of Buea by the Minister of Higher Education, Chancellor of Academic Orders, Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo. The Higher Education boss instructed both academicians to uphold peace, conviviality and security in a university that exemplifies the Anglo-Saxon culture of Cameroon.

Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo insisted that the new VC and the Pro-Chancellor have to ensure quality education at a time the Bachelor- Masters -Doctorate (BMD) demands flexibility and the professionalization in teaching.
The Minister congratulated Professor Ako Edward Oben, who is former Rector of the University of Maroua for his academic prowess that has spanned decades in Cameroon and abroad. He was challenged to ensure that UB “the place to be” upholds its reputed academic tenets in a peaceful environment.

To the New VC, Professor Ngomo Horace Manga, Associate Professor in Applied Chemical Engineering, the Minister exhorted him to transform the University Campus into an educational yardstick of professional excellence in a changing world. He was Secretary General in the Ministry of Higher education before his appointment. A cream of personalities and students watched the two distinguished professors take office.

The VC and the Pro -Chancellor from Ndian and Manyu Divisions respectively, received blessings from traditional rulers while dance groups and the UB choir immortalized the event with interesting displays. The two were appointed in a Presidential decree of 27th June 2017 to replace Dr. Nalova Lyonga Limumga and Professor Maurice Tchuente.

Source: CRTV

11, July 2017

China dispatches troops to set up military base in Djibouti ⁰

China has dispatched its naval forces to the Horn of Africa to set up an army base in Djibouti, where several global players have a military presence. Members of China’s People’s Liberation Army marked the incident at a ceremony at a naval base in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang on Tuesday, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced on its website.

China says it will use the base to assist anti-piracy operations, UN peacekeeping and humanitarian relief missions in Africa and western Asia. Beijing also says it will use the base to facilitate military cooperation and joint exercises, as Chinese navy and other services seek to expand their international presence in line with the country’s growing economic and political influence.

The Horn of Africa nation, strategically located in the critical entrance from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea, lies at the gateway to the busy Suez Canal waterway and provides a port to neighboring landlocked Ethiopia. The US, France, Japan and several other countries already have a military presence in Djibouti.

In April, US Defense Secretary James Mattis visited Djibouti, which houses Camp Lemonnier, the largest known US military base in the African continent. Mattis also discussed the issue of China’s growing influence in Djibouti with officials of the African country.

Touted by military experts as one of the most strategically important US military bases abroad, Camp Lemonnier has been dramatically expanded since it was built in 2001. The number of personnel stationed there, for example, has jumped from 900 to 5,000 since 2002. The US has been using a fleet of drones stationed at the base to conduct bombing missions against several Muslim countries in the region.

Washington has also deployed a number of drones to the Chabelley Airfield, located some 6 miles (9.5km) to the southwest of Djibouti’s capital. China’s military base in Djibouti will be established just a few miles from Camp Lemonnier, a decision that Washington says would raise “security concerns.”

In August 2015, Djibouti had reportedly ordered the US to vacate its secondary Obock military base in the country in a bid to turn over the installation to the Chinese military and its contingent of 10,000 troops.

The US Defense Department reportedly paid Djibouti nearly $63 million per year for the use of the Camp Lemonnier military base. However China, reportedly offered Djibouti a far more generous offer, namely the completion of a $3-billion railroad project from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to Djibouti.

The West is concerned that closer ties between Djibouti and China may prompt the African country to impose restrictions on US access to the Camp Lemonnier base, which the US uses to collect intelligence on terrorist groups in the region.

Source: Presstv

11, July 2017

Momo Division: A constituency in grief ⁰

Consternation gripped the people of Momo division in the North West region after two prominent Fons disappeared in a road accident which occurred last Saturday July 8, 2017 in the west region.

A witness recounts that the two Fons were on their way to Yaoundé when road safety Gendarmes stopped them around Batoum in Bangante but the driver reportedly added speed but unfortunately met face-to-face with an oncoming vehicle.

The two Fons passed on shortly after. A source disclosed that HRH Dr Akam of Kai village and HRH Jokem of Mbwngwi were heading to Yaoundé to answer the call of Minister Mbah Acha Rose of Supreme State Audit for her maiden outing.

It is believed that several other Fons were awaited in Yaoundé for the meeting. HRH Dr Akam was a lecturer in the Faculty of Arts in the University of Buea.

The Secretary General of National Fons Union,HRH Chaffa XI of Bangolan told CIN that he was aware of the incident but could not give further detailes adding that North West Fons Union could react on that because it falls within their competence.

Source: Cameroon Info.Net

11, July 2017

16 dead as US military plane crashes in Mississippi ⁰

Sixteen US servicemen have died after the military plane carrying them went down in rural Mississippi, police say. There were 16 people on board the Marine Corps KC-130 when it crashed Monday afternoon in a soybean field in Leflore County, leaving a debris field five miles in radius.

“A USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available,” the US Marine Corps Twitter account said immediately after the incident. Officials said they had recovered 12 bodies from the crash site. “Most of them are going to be Marines,” Leflore County EMA Director Frank Randle, adding he did not assess there were any civilian casualties resulting from the crash.

Marine Corps spokeswoman Lt. Kristine Rascicot also confirmed the crash but refused to release more details. The Lockheed Martin KC-130 aircraft is an extended-range tanker variant of the famous Lockheed C-130 Hercules, modified for aerial refueling operations.

Aircraft based on the C-130 Hercules have four turboprop engines and are primarily used for military transportation. The aircraft also has a heavily-armed AC-130 variant that carries a wide array of anti-ground weapons. The latest notable use of the weapon was in October 2015, when the gunship “mistakenly” attacked a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

Source: Presstv